When you love someone, you want them to be healthy, and your senior family member is no exception. Why not give a holiday gift that will make them feel good and help them take care of their health?

Seniors suffer a long list of potential health concerns, including arthritis, cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease and more. Helping them stay on top of their medications and doctor’s visits is especially important for older adults.

Diet and exercise are also critical to long-term health, so helping your senior loved one get moving and eat more fruits and vegetables can give them a healthy chance at a longer, healthier life.

When buying gifts, consider items that will make their health journey easier. Here are some gift ideas for your senior loved one.

Gifts for Seniors:

New walking shoes— Getting out and moving is very important for long-term health, and some good shoes are the perfect starting place. Look for shoes that are made for walking, and don’t just buy shoes that are labeled as such. Go to a specialty running store for a fitting. A person’s gait is important to finding the right shoe. While you’re there, grab some running socks. Good socks wick sweat away from feet, helping to prevent blisters and sore spots.

A blender or juicer — A juicer can help your loved one take in more healthy fruits and vegetables. If your senior doesn’t know how to make a smoothie or juice blend, help them learn by making some concoctions together. It will make for a fun afternoon of experimentation.

A massage or spa day — Self-care is important for seniors, too. Spending a day at a spa or getting a massage or facial will help them relax and feel refreshed. Seniors are often isolated and unable to socialize, which can lead to depression, so self-care is important. Helping them get out and feel good is a great way to show your love and boosts their mental health.

Medication dispenser — Keeping track of all the medications a senior needs can be very daunting. Getting a smart dispenser can help make sure they get the right doses at the right time. Some are even lockable so the user can’t take more than what’s prescribed.

If needed, spend a little extra time loading up the dispenser so there’s no confusion about the medications and their timing.

A good cane or walking stick — Canes can help seniors with mobility issues move around, and there are lots of options out there: foldable, with a seat, with legs and even some that light up. You can even get canes decorated with skulls and flames, for the senior in your life with a rebellious streak.

Subscribe to a CSA — Community Supported Agriculture is a way to get healthy, local vegetables directly from a farm. Many of them are organic or use organic methods (without being certified organic). If your senior loved one isn’t sure how to use all the vegetables that are in season, you can work with them to find ways to cook healthy meals full of vitamins. Some CSAs allow people to purchase half shares for smaller households, or you can go in on a share as a pair or group, then divide up the veggies. Some CSAs also offer the opportunity to buy fresh eggs or meats when you pick up your shares.

Gifts for Seniors in Long-Term Care

Pedal exerciser — In an assisted living facility, space can be rather limited, so there isn’t necessarily room for a full home gym. However, with a pedal exerciser, your senior can strengthen weakened leg muscles from the comfort of a chair for low impact exercise.

Traveling bookshelf — With a digital e-reader such as a Kindle, your loved one can read all their favorites (and new ones too) without having to depend on others to refresh their stock. The text size can be adjusted to make reading easy, day or night. In addition, reading is a great way to relieve stress, so it mixes fun with a mental health boost.

Puzzles — Mental fitness is important, especially as we age, and nothing keeps the mind occupied and sharp like a puzzle. There are plenty of great, large-piece options for seniors. You can even put a sentimental spin on it by turning a cherished photo into a puzzle they can put together and enjoy.

Toiletry basket — Put together a basket filled with your loved one’s favorite toiletries such as shampoo, lotion, perfume, body scrub, and a pair of comfy socks. Perhaps you could throw together a spa basket and encourage them to enjoy it with a friend to promote socialization.

Comfy pillows — We all have that one pillow that we simply can’t sleep without, but as we age, the right pillow can provide a better night’s sleep. A lumbar cushion or memory travel pillow could be just the ticket to relieving those achy joints so that your loved one can sleep well, wake up refreshed, less stiff, and ready to tackle the day.

Day out — A change of scenery does a world of good, and if your senior is able, a day spent with a friend or family member is a special treat. Give them control over the day, and oblige as many of their requests as possible.

Helping your loved ones stay healthy is the ultimate way to show your love. Good health and healthy habits can help extend their lives as well as keep them healthy and enjoying life longer.

Written for Aftenro by Hazel Bridges @

Grieving the loss of a loved one is one of the hardest journeys in life to travel. Sometimes grief can be surprising, and at other times can be overwhelming. While there’s no instruction book that tells you how to grieve, there are common stages of grief that may help you understand how you’re feeling or processing your loss.

The 5 Common Stages of Grief

1. Denial: You may have difficulty believing the loss actually happened, finding yourself in a state of shock or disbelief. “I can’t believe this is happening.”2. Anger: You may direct anger at the death, your loved ones, the person who died, yourself, the world, or God. “I’m so angry, and I’m not sure why or who I’m angry at.”3. Bargaining: You may find yourself second-guessing or imagining what you could have done to reverse fate or go back in time to change the outcome. “If only I had done this differently.”4. Depression: You may feel numb, helpless, empty, sad or exhausted, and not care about much of anything around you. “I just don’t know how I will go on.”5. Acceptance: You accept the reality of the loss and begin to regain strength and energy. You start adjusting to life without your loved one. “I have found peace. It’s OK to be happy.”

You may move through all five stages in this order, or you may skip a stage, or you may come back to the same one several times. You might start the grieving process before your loved one dies, or grief may catch you by surprise when you are alone later. Remember: grief is unique to each person, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve.

What can I do to get through the grieving process?

Take care of yourself. Grieving, or being emotionally exhausted can take a serious toll on your health. Try to get plenty of sleep at night, take a nap, eat healthy meals even if you don’t have an appetite, and drink plenty of water as dehydration can cause headaches, joint and muscle pain, and fatigue.

Talk about your feelings. Release what you feel like inside, even if it seems embarrassing or self-indulgent to tell someone else. Or, find a private outlet to express your feelings such as keeping a journal, starting a project, or reflecting on the good times you spent with your loved one.

Keep going. It’s OK to want to have time to be by yourself as long as you remember that you also need to get out of the house. Getting out may be as simple as taking a walk around the mall, or having a cup of coffee in the park. Being around other people can remind you of how much life is around you.

Find small moments to be grateful for. Even in the depths of your grief, there will be small moments that can fill you with gratitude such as the warmth of a fresh cup of tea, the comfort of a friend who calls to say hello, the coziness of a favorite chair and blanket. Take a second to acknowledge these small comforts, and give thanks for their presence in your life today. With time, you’ll find more and more moments to be grateful for, to laugh, and to enjoy yourself again.

The grieving process is different for every person, and with every loss. Don’t push yourself to “just muscle through” the stages. Instead, remind yourself of all of the steps on the road to peace, and make the emotionally healthy choices you need to take you as peacefully as possible through the journey.

Home is a place you can feel safe, relaxed and comfortable. However, your home can also have some major hazards that lead to falls. The reality is that a senior is treated every 11 seconds in an emergency room for injuries associated with falling in their home.

While falls can happen to even healthy, active people, fall-related injuries are a leading cause of early death. The risks especially significantly affect seniors. In fact, one in three people over the age of 65 falls, often resulting in life-changing injuries.

As you age, your reflexes and neuro-systems slow down and you start to lose your ability to quickly recover from a loss of balance. Further, if you are sedentary, your loss of muscle strength greatly increases your risk of falls. Thankfully, there are simple changes you can make to prevent falling in your home:1. Tape down the edges of mats and rugs; consider removing area rugs to avoid tripping over them.

2. Cover loose cords.

3. Remove piles and stacked papers from floors and hallways.

4. Make sure you have good lighting near your bed, in hallways and at the top and bottom of stairways.

5. Add handrails to stairways and grab bars in bathrooms.

6. Put a bell on your cat or dog’s collar so you can easily hear where they are without getting up to look.

7. Wear shoes that are closed-toe, and have soles with rubber or other gripping material.

8. Move items on shelves and in cabinets so that they’re within easy reach

9. Use a shower chair and handheld shower head while bathing. Sit down to get dressed.

10. Install seat risers on toilets and chairs if they’re too low to easily stand up from a seated position.

11. Look at your medications. Some medicines have side effects like dizziness that may make you lose your balance. Ask your doctor if there are alternatives with fewer side effects or lower doses if you think they’re affecting your balance.

12. Keep your eyes in check. Make sure your glasses and contact lens prescriptions are up to date so you’re seeing as clearly as possible. Try not to use progressive lenses indoors, which can make it harder for you to notice contrast and depth.

13. Stay active. Go for walks, try yoga, or find senior exercise classes in your community. Staying active can help you maintain, and even improve, muscle strength and balance.

14. Keep in touch. Call your neighbors or children at a certain time each day, and ask them to check on you if they don’t hear from you

For over a decade and from coast to coast, fraudsters have successfully been manipulating seniors over the phone through intimidation and confusion. Not only do these criminals receive a quick payout, but also glean sensitive personal information that may result in future identity theft.
It starts with an after-hours phone call when fraudulent callers falsely claim to be members of local police, sheriff’s department, the U.S. Marshals, or other law enforcement offices claims. The recipient is then told that they have failed to appear for mandated jury duty, missed a court-summoned order to appear as a defendant in a case, have a warrant out for their arrest, or are in contempt of court. The caller ID may even display correct phone numbers for a law enforcement agency or a courthouse while the caller may cite names of known police and judges. The scheme is to make the recipient fearful, wondering if they have indeed missed a summons.
Next, the fraudulent caller states that the victim must pay a fine, usually in the form of a prepaid debit or gift card. He will then ask to confirm the recipient’s identity by soliciting legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and other ID theft details. At this point, the scammer has the minimum information needed to empty bank accounts, open lines of credit, and access sensitive medical records.

The jury duty scam can be avoided by following these 5 steps:

1. Hang up without providing any confidential information. The fraudulent caller’s only goal is to gather as many sensitive details about the recipient as possible so that they are able to steal as much as possible from them. Avoid releasing these specifics.

2. Know what to expect in the mail. Most authentic jury duty notifications and other summonses are delivered by mail. Only in very rare cases will a prospective jurors be called by legitimate courthouse employees. However, this will only ocur after a jury duty summons was mailed but returned to sender because it couldn’t be delivered. You will never won’t be asked for personal information such as your Social Security number, birth date or driver’s license number.

3. Recognize that legitimate law enforcement officials do not call ahead to warn of an impending arrest, missing jury duty, or any other infraction.

4. Do not answer unknown calls after business hours. Fraudulent will attempt to make contact in the evening after the courthouse has closed because they know they have a better chance of reaching their intended victims.

5. Verify missed jury allegations with the court clerk or other jury duty coordinator. Thieves can manipulation the caller ID to display the name and phone number of any agency or business, so don’t be fooled by their ability to appear authentic.
If you have further questions or concerns regarding this long-standing scam, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

Over the past 20 years there has been a reported 300% increase in the number of Americans who report that they few or no close confidants. This is not only upsetting, but now an analysis of a total of 23 scientific studies reveal just how physically sick loneliness can actually make you.

According to a 2016 study published in the British medical journal, Heart, those who suffer from “poor social relationships” experienced a 29% greater risk of heart disease, and 32% greater risk of stroke.

These statistics equalize loneliness and social isolation with other well-known risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as anxiety and job strain. These statistics also surpass the cardiovascular risks of physical inactivity and obesity. Lead researcher Nicole Valtora of the Department of Health Sciences, University of York, England reports that “interventions to prevent coronary heart disease and stroke should take loneliness and social isolation into consideration.” She went on to say that such interventions could be relatively inexpensive to implement, especially when considering that the cost of ignoring cardiovascular disease factors totaled $193 billion in 2015.

However, it is important to note that loneliness and social isolation are not always linked. It is possible to feel lonely in a crowd, or to be alone and feel content. It is when your experience is negative, you are not happy with your social interactions, or if you’re grieving a loss will be when your well-being is at risk.

Valtora’s studies involved 181,000 people living in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, the data excluding those who identified as lonely, but had already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Participants were tracked for between 3-21 years, and it was found that among these people there were 4,628 heart attacks or related events and 3,002 strokes. Further, the data showed that age was not necessarily a factor, and there was no significant difference between men and women.

A separate study performed in 2015 by Brigham Young University researchers concluded that both actual and perceived isolation were associated with early death. Social isolation corresponded with a 29 percent greater risk of premature death, loneliness corresponded with a 26 percent greater risk, and living alone corresponded with a 32 percent greater risk. This same data also determined that social isolation and loneliness threatened longevity as much as obesity did. Interestingly, in 2010 this same team of Brigham Young researchers were also involved in a study that concluded that loneliness is as bad for your heart as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

According to Brigham Young researcher Julianne Holt-Lunstad what can be done to mitigate the cardiovascular risk of loneliness and social isolation is to nurture close relationships and seek to develop a “diverse set of social connections”. A key advantage in elderly populations often occurs within the setting of a long-term care facility where residents may have previously been isolated due to physical or cognitive impairments, but now enjoy a richer social and activity structure with their peers.